1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to animal husbandry, and in particular to accessories for use on animals, such as show horses.
2. Background of the Invention
The riding of horses in shows for dressage to compete with other horses and riders to display the talents of the horse and rider is an ever increasing popular sport. In one form of dressage competition the performance of various gaits and steps that have been laboriously taught to the horse are judged. Further, horse jumping in shows is also extremely popular, particularly for young men and women with the considerable support from their families. The sports are sufficiently popular to be included in the international Olympic program.
The appearance of the horse is very important to the participants and grooming the horse requires a major effort not only on a daily basis for regular grooming, but with particular emphasis and effort immediately before any show. A good deal of time is spent on the tail of the horse. Because of its location and the continuous use by the horse to discourage inserts, the tail tends to become dirty and tangled almost immediately after grooming, almost always requiring a major last minute effort to properly clean, brush and prepare the horse's tail.
Traditional tail covers are made in the form of a bag or other enclosure, and are attached to the animal by fastening a strap that extends over the back of the animal, and usually wraps around the neck of the animal. Thus, traditional tail covers are difficult to install, and can irritate the animal on which they are installed.
Furthermore, the traditional tail covers may not match the horse's tail and thus will be evident. An evident cover may actually be counter-productive since it may actually detract from the desired effect. This is especially true if the horse has little or no hair on it's tail.
No satisfactory solution to this problem has been provided with the only present answer being the just-mentioned practice of stuffing the tail into a long sock.